raw pizza with spinach pesto & marinated vegetables

every saturday for as long as i can remember, we have family video night. this entails pizza for everyone and a good movie or two. it's the night of the week where we can all relax and be together. since adopting a vegan diet, my family has naturally stopped eat most processed foods as well as most animal products. most of the time our meals are vegan now. yahoo! so as you would assume, our pizza nights now include vegan pizza (which is always delicious). the carnivorous men of my family are usually merrily surprised with the taste. this week i decided to make a raw version because, ya know... raw food is totally rad and stuff.

i wish we had some raw cheese to top this off with but alas, not this time - anyway it was delectable sans aged nut cheese. i could seriously eat a bowl of the pesto by itself, i luuuurve me some spinach. and as for the crust - i was schnarfing spoonfuls while i put it in the dehydrator. if you don't have a dehydrator then just use your oven at its lowest temperature. i do this all the time and never fret; work with what ya got. 

one thing (of the plethora of things) i LOVE about raw food - you can eat as much as you want, but often that isn't as much as you might predict because the food is so nutrient dense! it fills you up super fast. so as you can see, these pizzas are pretty small, but very satisfying. i do warn you, don't expect this to taste just like cooked pizza. in all honesty it has nothing to do with it except the inspiration and general shape. it is DIFFERENT and delicious... 

so open your mind (and your mouth). 

raw pizza with garlic & seed crust, spinach pesto and marinated veggies: makes four small pizzas

crust:

1/2 cup each of hemp seeds, raw pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds

1 cup walnuts

1 teaspoon salt & pepper

2 teaspoons dried basil (or a handful of fresh, lucky you)

1 tablespoon agave/maple syrup or a few dates

1-2 tablespoons water, as needed

1/2 onion, sliced

4 peeled garlic cloves

spinach pesto:

4-5 cups organic spinach
1/2 cup raw pine nuts

1 peeled garlic clove

1/2 teaspoon salt & pepper
1/4-1/2 cup water, as needed

1 teaspoon agave/maple syrup or a couple dates

toppings:

3 mushrooms

1 bell pepper

1 tomato 

1 teaspoon tamari

1 teaspoon fave dried herb blend

to make the crust: pulse all ingredients in your food processor until it sticks together (and tastes delicious!) now divide the mixture into four and shape each of them into your desired pizza crust shape with your hands on dehydrator trays or parchment paper. dehydrate (or cook in your oven at the lowest temperature) for 4-5 hours, or until crispy. 

to make the pesto: put all the ingredients in your food processor (no need to wash it after making the crust) and process until it reaches that yummy pesto consistency - not totally smooth, but still quite creamy. mmm. put in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge. 

to prepare the veggies: cut them all into thin slices and mix in with the tamari and herb blend.  marinate them in your dehydrator (or oven) until they are soft and taste freaking amazing. 

put it all together: when the crusts are finished, gently spread the pesto on all of them, followed by the veggies. if you have any raw vegan cheese that would be a tantalizing addition for your taste buds. 

EAT. BE HAPPY. YOU ARE WELCOME.